Welding goggles with removable protective lens cover



Dec. 16, 1969 J. v. MILITELLO WELDING GOGGLES WITH REMOVABLE PROTECTIVELENS COVER Filed June 22, 1967 INVENTOR.

JAN/6.5 l MIL/TELLO nitecl States [Patent Olfice 3,484,156 Patented Dec.16, 1969 3,484,156 WELDING GOGGLES WITH REMOVABLE PROTECTIVE LENS COVERJames V. Militello, Buffalo, N.Y., assignor to American Allsafe Company,Inc., Buffalo, N.Y. Filed June 22, 1967, Ser. No. 648,115 Int. Cl. G02c7/10 US. Cl. 351-44 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF TI Hl DISCLOSURE Safety gogglesfor filtering out harmful light rays such as infrared and ultraviolethaving a glass light filtering lens member extending across both eyes ofa user and encapsulated between two members of plastic sheet material,which members have marginal formations projecting the glass lens membersfor interlocking engagement in a frame comprising a flexible curvilinearwall surrounding the encapsulated lens member at its front edge andshaped to fit the wearers face at its rear edge.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention This inventionrelates to industrial welding goggles wherein the lens or lenses are ofspecial glass having filtering properties to block the passage ofinfrared light rays, ultraviolet light rays, or both.

Description of the prior art Industrial safety goggles for protectingthe eyes of the wearer against mechanical hazards such as flying objectsor particles or spray material are well known wherein a single lensmember of flat or bowed plastic material extends continuously acrossboth eyes of the user, the plastic lens member having marginal hooks orsimilar formations for interlocking engagement in a plastic frame whichconsists of a curvilinear wall which encircles the plastic lens memberat the front edge of the wall and extends rearwardly and is shaped atits rear edge to fit the face of the wearer. Lenses for such goggles areconventionally of plastic material since glass cannot, as a practicaland economic matter, be formed to interlock in the plastic framing walland, even if so formed at considerable cost, would be subject to a highdegree of breakage due to the projecting nature of the ears or lugs ofthe lens by means of which the lens is attached to or interlocked withthe plastic framing member.

Since plastic lenses of the above description cannot be manufacturedwith suitable light filtering properties for use in welding or likeindustrial or other operations, welding goggles are usually made with apair of circular glass lens members which are individually mounted atthe front of the goggles by means of threaded retaining collars or thelike. Thus the construction and design of welding goggles areconventionally quite separate and distinct from the construction ofunitary safety goggles wherein a single continuous plastic lens may beemployed.

In another known type of welding goggles a rectangular glass lightfiltering lens extends across both eyes of the .wearer but therectangular shape of the lens necessitates positioning the same wellforward of the wearers face to clear his nose. This restricts the visualrange, requires a relatively deep housing, and makes an awkward andcumbersome device from the standpoint of the wearer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides the advantagesof safety goggles of the unitary continuous plastic lens type in gogglessuitable for use in welding and other operations which requirefiltration of harmful light rays. Speaking generally, this isaccomplished by providing a glass lens member suitable light filteringproperties which extends transversely continuously across both eyes ofthe user, with a curved notch to clear the wearers nose, and is retainedbetween a pair of plastic sheet members disposed at the front and rearfaces of the glass lens member and which extend marginally beyond theglass lens member, the marginal portions of one or both of the sheetmembers being offset toward the other to enclose the edge of the glasslens member. One or both of the plastic sheet members which thusencapsulate the glass lens member include marginal projections orformations for interlocking engagement with a frame member which is verysimilar to the frame members employed with conventional all-plasticindustrial safety goggles of the type which give only mechanicalprotection to the eyes of the user.

Thus the broad field of vision afforded by goggles of this latter typeis made available for welding or other purposes requiring lightfiltration. Furthermore, a more economical goggle construction isafforded than in prior art welding goggles wherein separate lens membersand separate lens mounts have been and are conventionally employed. Inaddition to the foregoing, by virtue of the welding goggle constructionof the present invention, either the welding goggle lens arrangement ofthe present invention, or the fiat plastic lens arrangement ofconventional mechanical safety goggles, may be interchangeably employedin the same frame member. This latter feature provides advantages ofeconomy in manufacture, in the stocking of parts by distributors orindustrial tool rooms, and the like, and enables smaller users tointerchangeably use welding lens arrangements or ordinary plastic lensarrangements interchangeably in a single frame as the need arises.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a general front elevationalview of an assembled pair of goggles of one form of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the goggles of FIG. 1 with a frontportion broken away for added illustration;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the frame portionadjacent to the right-hand end of the nose opening of the goggles ofFIG. 1, viewed similarly to FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken approximately as indicated by theline IV-IV of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Like characters of referencedenote like parts in the several figures of the drawing and a lensmember 10 of glass, having the quality of filtering out infrared orultraviolet light rays, or both, extends horizontally to cover both ofthe eyes of the wearer and is notched at its lower central portion toaccommodate the wearers nose. In FIG. 1 the continuous dotted linemarked A indicates the outline of lens member 10. In the presentinstance the means for enclosing or encapsulating lens member 10comprises a front plastic sheet member 11 and a rear plastic sheetmember 12. The former is marginally offset, as clearly shown in FIG. 2whereby its marginal edge portion 13 lies fiat against the marginal edgeportion of the rear flat plastic sheet member 12, the lens member 10being thus completely enclosed between the plastic sheet members 11 and12.

A main frame member 15 extends across the top and along the sides of theassembly comprising the lens members 10 and the front and rearencapsulating sheets 11 and 12 and terminates generally at the lowerpart of the 3 assemblyat opposite sides of the nose notch thereof Asshown in FIG. 3, the plastic facing sheets 11 and 12 are jointlyprovided with a pair of hook formations 16 for interlocking engagementwith an opening 17 in frame member 15.

The rear edge of frame member is curved, as indicated at 13 in FIG. 2 tofit closely against the face of the wearer and the interior of the framemember 15 adjacent to its front edge portion is provided with aninwardly directed channel formation 20 which fits over the abuttingedges of the facing sheets 11 and 12.

A nose portion framing member is designated 21 and generally forms acontinuation of the main frame member 15, being provided in a similarmanner with a channel formation which fits over the abutting marginaledges of the nose notch portions of the facing sheets 11 and 12. Thenose portion 21 is preferably formed of a relatively soft plasticmaterial to provide a comfortable nose rest for the goggles. The endportions of nose framing member 21 are notched as at 25 to fit over hookformation 16, being retained in assembled position b the overlyingportions of the main framing member 15, as shown in FIG. 3. If desiredthe nose portion framing member may be combined integrally with the mainframe member 15 as is well known in this art.

As indicated at 26 in FIG. 4, the rear face of rear facing sheet 12 iscoated from its outer marginal edge inwardly to a point at least as farin as the edge of the glass lens member 10 with an opaque coating sothat harmful light rays cannot pass through the goggles between theouter edges of the lens member 10 and the inner edges of the framemembers 15 and 21. A head band 27 is attached to opposite sides of themain framing member 15 in an adjustable manner as indicated in FIG. 2.

It will thus be seen that after the facing sheets 11 and 12 are appliedto the inner and outer faces of lens 10, this assembly is detachablyengaged with the frame means in the same manner as in certain forms ofconventional safety goggles such, for instance, as that shown anddescribed in Sterne et al., Patent 2,914,770, dated Dec. 1, 1959. By thesame token, the present composite len structure with a filtering glasslens encased in sheet plastic material may be interchangeably employedin a given frame means with a flat plastic lens member of the form shownin the aforesaid Sterne et al. patent.

The interfitting of the sheet members 11 and 12 in the channel formation20 of frame 15 retains the sheet members 11 and 12 and lens member 10 inassembled relation with respect to each other and mere removal of thelens and sheet member assembly from the frame means completelydisassemblesthe goggles.

While the lens member is referred to generally herein as being of glass,since glass is presently the most com- .rnonlight. filtering materialof. this type,'it is to be understood that the light filtering lensmember may be of special plastic or other materials having lightfiltering properties. Whatever material is employed in the lightfiltering lens, the plastic sheet facing member protects the surface ofthe light filtering material against abrasion and other surface damage.

What is claimed is:

1. Goggle construction comprising an oblong lens member extending acrossboth eyes of the wearer and comprising a sheet of light filteringmaterial, a pair of plastic sheet members removably positioned at theopposed front and rear faces of said lens member and projectingmarginally beyond said lens member, at least one of said sheet membershaving its marginal portions offset toward the other sheet member toabut the same and enclose the edge portions of said lens member, andflexible frame means of substantial width having a rear edge shaped tofit the contour of a wearers face and a front edge generally surroundingsaid lens member and said sheet members, the abutting marginal portionsof said sheet members having projecting formations for joint detachableinterfitting engagement within said frame means for retaining the sheetmembers and the enclosed lens member in assembled relation with respectto each other, said lens member being freely removable from between saidsheet members by disconnection of the latter from said frame means.

2. Goggle construction in accordance with claim 1 wherein said framemeans comprises a main frame member of somewhat flexible plasticmaterial and a supplemental nose portion frame member of softer plasticmaterial for resting against the wearers nose.

3. Goggle construction in accordance with claim 1 wherein the marginalportion of one of said sheet members is rendered opaque inwardly to saidlens member to prevent passage of undesired light rays between the edgeportions of said lens member and said frame means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 955,278 4/1910 Minor l622,914,770 12/1959 Sterne et a1. 2l4.8

FOREIGN PATENTS 590,289 7/1947 Great Britain.

DAVID SCHONBERG, Primary Examiner ROBERT L. SHERMAN, Assistant ExaminerUS. Cl. X.R. 35ll66

